Gerontology Commons^™

Review Of Perspectives On The Economics Of Aging. David A. Wise (Ed.). Reviewed By Martin B. Tracy., Martin B. Tracy

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of David A. Wise (Ed.), Perspectives on the Economics of Aging. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2004. $90.00 hardcover.

麻雀治療實務手冊, Social Services Department, Yan Chai Hospital 仁濟醫院社會服務部, Asia-Pacific Institute Of Ageing Studies, Lingnan University 嶺南大學亞太老年學研究中心, Cheung Ming, Alfred Chan, Wing Suen Wan Au

Manual & Guide 手冊及指引

本港人口正急速老化，65歲以上的老年人口將在未來三十年佔總人口的四分之一。如何確保長者的生活質素，以及提升護老者的照顧能力，將會是未來香港社會的挑戰。過去十年，各政府部門、醫管局、大學、專業團體和社會服務機構，都致力發展和研究有關老年健康的課題，藉以提升長者的生理、認知、心理和社交健康。近年，很多從西方引入的治療研究，亦被嘗試應用在不同類型的疾病上，例如：懷緬治療、多感觀治療、音樂治療和認知行為治療等，但應用在華人身上的成效，則有待更多的驗證。

華人社會一向重視家庭和親屬關係，以及勤奮工作的文化。大部份長者的教育水平偏低，年青時都只着重工作，甚少娛樂；跳舞、上戲院、閱讀、攝影只是少部份長者的嗜好，普羅大眾的娱樂文化主要是往茶樓品茗、打麻雀、打天九、看電視和賭博等等。麻雀治療是從長者過往較多接觸的活動中，發展出來的一套具有本土特色而非使用藥物的治療方法，旨意在融入長者的日常生活中，達到既提供娛樂活動，亦同時提升長者的身體、認知、心理和社交功能。

傳統的中國文化，一直流傳著所謂「打麻雀能醫百病」、「打麻雀是一種心靈寄託」、「打麻雀可以使人忘記煩惱、病痛」等說法。而每逢節日和家人團聚，“打幾圈”麻雀已成為一種很普及的娛樂活動。最近，有些報導以及一些醫生均指出打麻雀有助老年人避免患上心理疾病，以及減輕老年痴呆症患者的退化症狀。然而，上述的觀點至今仍未有科學方面的引證。

在2004年，仁濟醫院社會服務部與嶺南大學亞太老年學研究中心,採用科學化的研究方法，於仁濟醫院社會服務部轄下八間老人院舍中，選取121位患有輕度及中度認知能力受損的長者進行麻雀治療的研究。研究的目的是希望引證麻雀治療能否改善患有老年痴呆症長者的身體、認知、心理和社交功能，並找出一套具策劃及有效執行的麻崔治療模式。透過研究的經驗和成果，將麻雀活動發展成為一稱具本土特色的健康治療工具。我們盼望藉此實務手冊，為年長一聚提供多一個非藥物的治療選擇；同時亦希望本手冊能夠發揮拋縛引玉的效果，使各界人士能夠繼續推廣和實行麻雀治療，造福廣大的社群。

Primetimes Newsletter, Fall 2005, Office Of Lifespan Studies

PrimeTimes Newsletter

PrimeTimes is the newsletter of the Office of Lifespan Studies in the College of Science at Coastal Carolina University.

Primetimes Newsletter, Summer 2005, Office Of Lifespan Studies

PrimeTimes Newsletter

PrimeTimes is the newsletter of the Office of Lifespan Studies in the College of Science at Coastal Carolina University.

A Behavioral Model For The Assessment And Management Of Dehydration In Older Adults, Leilani Feliciano

Dissertations

Dehydration is a serious health concern in the elderly, constituting 1 of the 10 most common causes for hospitalization in this population (Sanservo, 1997). Previous research on dehydration has typically been conducted within nursing home settings (Chidester & Spangler, 1997; Holbren, Hassell, Williams, & Helle, 1999; Spangler, Risley, & Bilyew, 1984) without specific attention to the variables maintaining dehydration for any given individual. A functional behavioral approach to assessment and prevention or intervention for dehydration would involve identifying maintaining variables in the environment that can be altered to produce effective, non-intrusive interventions to increase healthy fluid consumption. The current project …

Aging And Family Policy: A Sociological Excursion, Jason L. Powell

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The contemporary focus on family policy and old age has become increasingly important in social discourses on aging both within the discipline of Sociology and social policy practices of welfare institutions that attempt to define later life. Using the United Kingdom as a case study, sheds light on wider current trends associated with aging in United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. Social welfare is a pivotal domain where social discourses on aging have become located. Narratives are 'played out' with regard to the raw material supplied by family policy for identity performance of older people. Therefore, grounding developments in 'narrativity' …

Primetimes Newsletter, Spring 2005, Office Of Lifespan Studies

PrimeTimes Newsletter

PrimeTimes is the newsletter of the Office of Lifespan Studies in the College of Science at Coastal Carolina University.

Active Aging: Motives And Barriers, Francis G. Caro, Eilon Caspi, Jeffery Burr, Jan Mutchler

Gerontology Institute Publications

Both the successful aging and productive aging literatures attach great importance to activity. In the successful aging paradigm, activity contributes positively to both physical health and psychological well being. In the productive aging paradigm, older people make contributions to society through certain types of activities, notably gainful employment, community service volunteering, informal assistance usually within their families, and political participation.

Less attention has been given to the relationships among various forms of productive activity. Various forms of activity may be complementary or competitive. In other words, participation in one form of productive activity may open doors to other forms of …

Residential Adjustments Of Elders: Perspectives Of Elders And Their Adult Children, Alison S. Gottlieb, Elizabeth Johns, Francis G. Caro

Gerontology Institute Publications

While elders tend to prefer to “age in place,” they often have reason to consider residential alternatives. Declining health and loss of social supports invite elders to consider modifying their homes or moving to other settings that are less demanding and more supportive. Residential adjustments of elders are often a family issue. Among middle-aged adults, worry about the safety of aging parents in their residential environments is widespread. Also common is frustration among adult children about their difficulties in persuading parents to make recommended residential adjustments.

We conducted a qualitative study on residential decision-making based on focus groups and qualitative …

Promoting Safe Mobility Among Elders By Increasing Awareness Of Vehicle Modifications (Executive Summary), Elizabeth Van Ranst, Nina M. Silverstein, Alison S. Gottlieb

Gerontology Institute Publications

This research project looks at one strategy to address the safety of older drivers, vehicular modifications. Specifically, a video demonstrating low-tech, low-cost features that may alleviate some driving challenges was produced to determine whether viewing the video would increase awareness of and motivation to use those features. Prochaska and DiClemente’s Transtheoretical Model of intentional behavioral change provides the theoretical framework for this study. This model posits five stages of change, a continuum over which the individual becomes more receptive to taking action.

Motivation For Active Aging: Results Of A Pilot Study, Francis G. Caro, Laney Bruner-Canhoto, Jeffery Burr, Jan Mutchler

Gerontology Institute Publications

The current research explores the question whether activity on the part of older people can be explained, in part, by a general motivation to be active that cuts across various forms of activity. One premise is that motivation defined as “personal interest or desire” is one of a number of forces that contributes to participation in an activity. A further premise is that a distinction may be made between motivation that is specific to a particular activity and general motivation to be active. A general motive to be active may help to explain specific forms of activity. Further, a general …

The Contemporary Older Man: Summary And Discussion, Roberta Greene, Michael Wright

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This edition of the Journal has included a series of articles on the contemporary man in his elder years and the challenges and opportunities he may face. For example, an article by Bullock brings attentions to the increasing number of grandfathers who are becoming responsible for their grandchildren in the absence of fathers. Her study of 26 men age 65 and above who are responsible for the care of at least one grandchild revealed perceptions of powerlessness as grandfathers made this family role transition. Bullock argues that such feelings of powerlessness can be stemmed by programs that provide opportunities for …

Grandfathers And The Impact Of Raising Grandchildren, Karen Bullock

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Objectives. As grandparents are continuing to take on the responsible of raising their grandchildren in the absence of parents much attention in the literature is given to women. Little is known about the adjustment that older men make in these families. This study explored the experiences of grandfathers raising grandchildren.

Methods. Data were gathered by semi-structured interviews in a rural community in southeastern North Carolina and analyzed using a qualitative content analysis mode. Twenty-six men, age 65+, who were responsible for the care of at least one grandchild, participated.

Results. Eighty-one percent (N = 21) reported that their perception of …

The Peculiarities Of Men Aging: A Collection Of Anecdotes, Robert Blundo, Tamara Estes

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Men are reticent to share with others the slow realization that with age they begin to confront a world that they had not expected. They had not expected to grow old. Now that this is happening, men have few relationships that permit them to share their thoughts and moments of recognition. The anecdotes that men share are revealing in that they demonstrate basic human uncertainties about the later part of life's cycle.

Viagra: Medical Technology Constructing Aging Masculinity, Gregory Gross, Robert Blundo

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Medicalization and commodification of the body through technology in the form of Viagra and other erectile dysfunction drugs is reinforcing the cultural expectations that ageing men are required to age well to maintain youthful masculinity. Ageing well is explored as it relates the construction of masculinity, sexuality and ageing men's bodies.

Review Of The Changing Of The Guard: Lesbian And Gay Elders, Identity And Social Change. Dana Rosenfeld. Reviewed By John F. Longres., John F. Longres

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Dena Rosenfeld. The Changing of the Guard: Lesbian and Gay Elders, Identity and Social Change. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. 2003. $59.50 hardcover, $18.95 papercover.

Aging And Older Men: Thoughts, Reflections And Issues: Introduction, Robert Blundo, Deborah E. Bowen

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Efforts across many fields engaged in addressing the population of aging in this country have tended to create a nearly homogenous cohort that often does not recognize the heterogeneity of aging across gender, race, ethnicity, geography, socioeconomic status, cultural and sexual orientation. The diversity within aging members of our society brings about many variations and unique issues that need to be recognized and explored by policy makers and practitioners. Among these is aging related to gender, which has tended to pay much less attention to men than women. Content analysis of journals and texts on aging has revealed a significant …

Meeting The Needs Of Older Men: Challenges For Those In Helping Professions, Jordan I. Kosberg

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The uniqueness of men's lives has not been revealed in the social service literature. Therefore policy makers and practitioners are without the necessary knowledge base and research to create programs and services that will engage men and, in particulara, ging men. This articlep resents an overview of the state of knowledge in general and the specific areas significant to policy and practice development.

Shifting Identity: Process And Change In Identity Of Aging Mexican-American Males, Gary L. Villereal, Alonzo Cavazos

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article addresses the shift in machismo identity that occurs in Mexican-American male identity and the developmental process and the change in one's role as an elderly Mexican-American man.

Socialization of male-ism in Mexican-American boys begins with the cultural expectation that a young boy is and will be a man. There are also explicit expectations that girls should be respected but that, in contrast to boys, girls should be submissive and obedient. This is the beginning of machismo and the separation of being a "man" versus being a "woman."

Aging results in a loss of machismo and this is evident …

Principles Of Clinical Practice With Older Men, Lenard W. Kaye, Jennifer A. Crittenden

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Older men are much less likely to be aware of community services available to them and they are less likely to utilize services generally. This underutilization is affected by the way in which social services are organized and how practitioners function within them. Since there are greater numbers of elderly women and women utilize services more readily, practice tends to be female-centered. It is important that gender-sensitive intervention processes are established that recognize the unique experiences and concerns of older men in order to better serve them. The uniqueness of men's experiences with such issues as loss of a spouse, …

Honoring The Elders: Interviews With Two Lakota Men, Deborah E. Bowen

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The beliefs that honoring the elders, commitment to family, and the connectedness to all creation are paramount are intrinsic to Lakota culture. Two Lakota elders, Albert White Hat, Sr. and Sylvan White Hat, Sr. are interviewed for this article. They express their concerns with major social justice issues, and offer hope for future generations of Lakota children. A strengths-based perspective of social work practice is compared to traditional Lakota customs and practices.

A Report On An Exploratory Study On Visual Conditions Of Older People Living In Public Housing, Cheung Ming, Alfred Chan, Meng Soi, Florence Fong, Hon Yui, Eric Wong, Ka Yu, Kenneth Au-Yeung

APIAS Monograph 專題論文

HOPE worldwide (HWW) has been a chartered charity organization in Hong Kong since 1993, with its focus on organizing service programmes in China and Hong Kong. Volunteers for Seniors Day (formerly Hope for Seniors Day) is one of the many programmes initiated by HWW to meet the urgent needs of the growing ageing population in Hong Kong. Starting in 1996, volunteers from corporations and social organizations have been recruited for Volunteers for Seniors Days on an annual basis. Since 2000, the programme has been jointly organized with the Housing Authority to provide cleaning and painting services to single elderly tenants …

The Need For Social Work Intervention For The Elderly Patients And Their Family Members, Yasuyo Abo

Theses Digitization Project

Contends that poor discharge planning for elderly patients in American hospitals is the result of reduced lengths of stay which do not give medical social workers adequate time to assess patients' needs. A survey methodology was used to assess social service and community resource needs of hospitalized elderly patients and their family members at Riverside Community Hospital in California. Argues that the results of the survey can be used to improve discharge planning and lead to a more client-centered practice in hospitals.

A Study Of The Effects Of Short-Term Respite Care On Caregivers And The Relationship Between Respite Satisfaction And Social Support, Lisa San Filippo Di Matteo

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects short-term respite care had on caregivers of elderly and brain-impaired adults. The study also sought to examine the role that social support plays in determining satisfaction with respite care.

Factors In Older Adult's Resistance To Substance Abuse Treatment For Prescription And Over-The-Counter-Medication, Charles Henry Eugene Maingot

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that cause resistance in older adults to participation substance abuse (prescription drugs) treatment programs.

The Needs Of Informal Grandparent Caregivers And How They Are Met At The Kinship Family Center, Emily Jane Osborne-Lewis, Shanta Lashawn Clardy

Theses Digitization Project

Seventeen grandparent caregivers, who have primary responsibility for one or more grandchildren and do not have a parent of the grandchildren living in the household, were interviewed to evaluate the effectiveness of the services offered by Kinship Family Center (KFC), a non-profit support agency for relative caregivers and the children in their care. Kinship Family Center is a program of the Central City Lutheran Mission and is funded by the San Bernardino County Department of Children's Services. The researchers found that KFC was an effective asset for informal grandparent caregivers. For grandparents, it was a source of support and comfort …

Active Life Expectancy And Functional Limitations Among Older Cambodians: Results From A 2004 Survey, Zachary Zimmer

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This study’s aims are to: (1) determine the prevalence of functional limitations among older adults in Cambodia using activities of daily living (ADLs); (2) compare limitation prevalence with other countries in the region; (3) estimate active life expectancy; (4) examine standard correlates of functional status and assess whether they are associated with limitation in expected ways. Elderly Cambodians appear more likely to report limitations than their counterparts in neighboring countries. A contribution of the analysis is the examination of a basic measure of health among a population that until recently has been isolated from the rest of the world.

Education Of Adult Children And Mortality Of Their Elderly Parents In Taiwan, Zachary Zimmer, Linda G. Martin, Mary Beth Ofstedal, Yi-Li Chuang

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Research shows an older adult’s education is strongly associated with mortality. But in societies such as Taiwan, where families are highly integrated, the education of family members may be linked to survival. Such may be the case in settings where there are large gaps in levels of education across generations and high levels of resource transfers between family members. This Population Council study employs 14 years of longitudinal data from Taiwan to examine the combined effects of education of older adults and their adult children on mortality outcomes of older adults. Results indicate that educational levels of both parent and …

Reciprocal Effects Of Health And Economic Well-Being Among Older Adults In Taiwan And Beijing, Kristine R. Baker, Mary Beth Ofstedal, Zachary Zimmer, Zhe Tang, Yi-Li Chuang

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The objectives of this Population Council study are threefold: 1) to examine whether socioeconomic status disparities in health are found in non-Western settings; 2) to assess whether socioeconomic status gradients in health endure into older ages; and 3) to evaluate the direction of causality between health and socioeconomic status. Findings provide evidence for reciprocal effects of economic well-being and health among older adults in both Taiwan and Beijing. Those with higher levels of economic well-being have lower levels of functional limitation over time, and those with higher levels of functional limitation have lower levels of economic well-being over time. Consistent …

An Exploratory Study On The Significance Of Outbound Travelling For The Older Persons In Hong Kong, Cheung Ming, Alfred Chan, David Rosser Phillips, Meng Soi, Florence Fong, Hon Yui, Eric Wong

APIAS Monograph 專題論文

Hong Kong has been experiencing demographic ageing with an increasing number of older population and prolonged life expectancy. It is projected that population will increase from 12% in 2004 to 24% in 2031 (Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong, 2002). Older people in the future are expected to be wealthier and healthier and the potential demand for recreational activities will strongly be associated with this group. As highlighted in the Chief Executive of the HKSAR 2001 policy address, the future direction of elderly care and services is to improve the quality of life of older persons, ensuring that they …